


Kiss 'N Tell

by saggiclowns



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Enemies to Friends to Lovers to Exes to Friends to Lovers, Nonbinary Character, Other, Reunited and It Feels So Good, Trans Joey Wheeler, Trans Male Character, Trans Yugi Muto, gender feels, nonbinary author
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-09
Updated: 2020-11-09
Packaged: 2021-03-09 05:02:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,044
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27479257
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/saggiclowns/pseuds/saggiclowns
Summary: Duke and Joey spent most of high school pretending not to be dating so it didn't seem like a big deal when they broke it off. Two years spent an ocean apart made the break seem clean, but when Duke returns to Domino and old patterns arise the two quickly realize they will have to build a new foundation, or risk crumbling the relationship for good.
Relationships: Jounouchi Katsuya | Joey Wheeler/Otogi Ryuuji | Duke Devlin
Comments: 2
Kudos: 1





	1. The Comeback Kid

The blast of air conditioning from the coffee shop door made the sweat on Duke’s bare arms turn to an instant clammy sheen. Domino summers were as relentlessly swampy as they had ever been, which meant Duke barely made it two blocks before they had to shrug off their blazer. They lived for a moment in the memory of cool San Francisco nights by the bay that required a light hoodie at minimum while they found a place in the quick moving line. Fortune smiled and they were able to get their order in fast — cold brew straight up, no cream and no sugar — but they couldn’t afford to waste time standing around when they had deadlines to meet by tomorrow. 

Duke was a veteran of the coffee shop workflow and it only took a moment for them to poach a primo spot: right next to an outlet, away from the bustling foot traffic and protected from the afternoon sun glaring on their laptop screen. 

Dodging between elbows and chairs, they reached their destination and ceremoniously dropped their laptop bag with a triumphant thud into the free seat to stake their claim. They booted up their computer before even sitting down, ready to dive straight into work. If they powered through, maybe their anticipated all-nighter would be more like a most-of-the-nighter.

Just as they managed to finagled their charger into the wall socket the barista warbled out, “I got a cold brew for… Duck?” 

They stood up straight with a drawn out sigh, more annoyed at the potential of losing their spot than their mercilessly butchered name. They decided to resort to desperate measures and pitched up their best sweet-but-bossy cis lady voice. In their head, they liked to call her Janet.

“Hi, excuse me, could you do me the hugest favor and watch my things for a minute?”

The punky kid with gel spiked hair Duke had selected as guardian of their MacBook snapped up from the screen of his own sticker-plastered laptop and popped out his earbuds. He blinked at Duke with wide eyes framed by thick but tasteful goth liner that lit up suddenly with recognition.

“Hey, Duke!” Yugi beamed.

“Oh — wow, um. Hi Yugi,” Duke stumbled out.

They suddenly felt a lot more exposed without their usual sharply cut blazer but they willed themself not to cross their arms and instead settled for resting a hand on their hip and holding the other steady on their chair back in probably the most embarrassing attempt to act casual ever recorded in human history. They’d only been back in Domino for a day and a half and already their past had come scrabbling up from the grave to haunt them. Yugi’s big eyes darted all over as he launched into excited chatter and they did their best not to squirm.

“It’s been so long! How are you? I didn’t even know —” He caught himself mid sentence and shook his head sheepishly. “Oh gosh, I’m sorry. You probably wanna go get your order. I can watch your stuff, then we can catch up.”

“Absolutely, hang tight.” Duke said with an appreciative wave. 

They shuffled off into the crowd towards the counter and rubbed their upper arms, feeling suddenly clammy all over again. They gave a stray curl of their humidity ravaged hair a nervous twirl around their finger and made an anxious mental note of how massively frizzy it was right now before twisting up the same strand and letting it spring free again. It was clear they needed to buy some time and take a breather so they stepped back into the line after picking up their drink. The cold condensation on their palms was a much needed distraction.

There was no real reason for them to be nervous about running into Yugi. Before they had even said yes to Pegasus and received their ticket back to Domino they’d known it was an eventuality. They just hadn’t expected it on day two. It wasn’t like they were avoiding him, they just hadn’t planned to seek him out. They were bound to cross paths at some point. And they liked Yugi anyway, enough that they couldn’t think of a single good reason to bail on a potentially awkward conversation and had instead gone up to the cashier to place another order.

Even after all the shit that went down with their dad, they hadn’t ghosted him or ignored him after jetting off to Cali. They had even, on occasion, liked his Instagram pics over the past couple of years, but to be fair that hardly fell under the loosest definitions of “keeping in touch”. It’d been a lot easier to let things drift without any messy feelings getting in the way. But Yugi, being Yugi, had instantly jumped at the chance to catch up with an old friend. And Duke, being Duke, was bewildered and maybe a little disturbed to be thought of that way. 

That thought train never ended up anywhere Duke wanted to go. They accepted their second drink order, dropped a couple bills into the tip jar, and pivoted on their heel back towards Yugi with their shoulders pulled back and their best pageant smile stretched maybe a little too thin.

“My treat,” Duke announced as they set the bright purple Dragon Fruit blend next to Yugi’s spot. 

“Hey, you remembered, thanks!” Yugi lifted up his plastic cup to Duke and they graciously tapped their own against it.

They settled down into their seat and took a long sip of coffee, which they now realized was probably a less than stellar idea from the way their knee had started to bounce as soon as they sat down, but it gave them something to do with their hands.

“How long has it been anyway?” Yugi started. He took a long slurp of his Dragon Fruit and wiped his mouth on his sleeve before continuing.. At least some things stayed the same. “It’s been forever, like two years?”

“Two and a half,” Duke said breezily. They propped their foot under their seat to try and still their fidgeting.

“Wow, time flies, huh? You look great.” Yugi nodded, complete with that too-damn-earnest for his own good smile that told you he really meant it.

“Thanks, you too.” Duke said. They hoped their own smile managed to come across half as sincere, but their mouth felt too tight for it to reach their eyes. If Yugi noticed, he didn’t let it show.

They had honestly been surprised Yugi even recognized them — after FFS, HRT and probably some other acronym they were forgetting they barely recognized themself from old school pictures. Yugi had come a long way in his transition, too, but something about the sudden interaction on what used to be their turf felt unbalanced. Like they had come back home wearing the emperor’s new clothes. They shook the ice in their cup to interrupt the dysphoria spiral and lifted their chin towards Yugi’s laptop.

“So what does the King of Games get up to these days? Are you in school?”

“Oh no, please!” Yugi cried. Duke grinned and nudged his foot with the toe of their boot, bringing on an immediate flush and embarrassed giggle as he waved his hands. “Nobody’s called me that in forever, I’ll never be free! But um, no I’m not in school.”

“Looks like you’re hard at work on something there.” Duke offered. They leaned a little towards the computer curiously, though not enough to actually see anything. 

“Yeah, it’s kind of my own project.” He said and pulled the laptop closer. “I’m actually working on a game, it’s a tabletop RPG. I’m barely getting into the concepts, but you can look if you want to?”

“Oh, I definitely want to.” Duke looked through the overlays of game maps, renders and mockups cluttering Yugi’s screen and let out an appreciative whistle. “Wow. This is really cool stuff, Yugi. These puzzles look tough. Wouldn’t expect anything less, though.”

“Thanks! It’s something I’ve been messing with, just for fun.” Yugi shrugged

“Yugi, seriously?” Duke hunched over and scrolled down a page of character models, eyes darting over the screen. “I mean fun is fun, but, this is a big deal. You’ve got stuff here that’s miles ahead of most of the games out there, better than any of the junk I get stuck reviewing.”

“Wait, so are you making games now, Duke?” Yugi blinked his huge eyes and beamed up at them. “That’s so awesome, it’s what you always wanted to do.”

Duke stilled in their inspection of Yugi’s concepts. It hadn’t occurred to them once until now to mention what they did. The old Duke would have pounced on any and all opportunities to brag. The new Duke obviously spent too much time combing over lines of code until four in the morning and preparing memos for Pegasus to bother.

“Well,” They cleared their throat and sat up a little straighter. “Not per se, I mostly find and review games. For Industrial Illusions.”

“What!” Yugi practically leaped out of his seat. “In California, right? That’s so cool, what’s it like?”

“It’s mostly a lot of drying my eyeballs out staring at code, but the weather’s nice. It’s a paid gig, too, which doesn’t hurt.” Duke waved nonchalantly. 

“Oh…” Yugi frowned, a little deflated. Duke could have sworn his spiky hair drooped. “So you’re probably just visiting for a bit then?”

“Um, not sure yet.” Duke said quickly and fidgeted with their straw. They looked at their phone to check the time. “But actually, I’ve got to get going now but uh, we should do this again if we get the chance.”

Yugi scooted back and stood to make room for Duke as they prepared to say goodbye and make a hasty retreat, but from the bat of his lashes and the way his voice perked up it was clear he wasn’t about to let them get away that easily.

“Okay, no worries. But if you happen to be free tonight, a bunch of us are getting together. You should come. It’s my birthday. No big deal.”

“Well,” Duke clicked their tongue and headed for the trash bin. “I can’t exactly bail on the birthday boy, now can I?”

“Nope,” Yugi chirped as he trailed after them.

“Alright, count me in. Just text me the address. I’ll be there.” Duke settled a hand on the strap of their laptop bag and offered a smile. 

“Sure thing!” Yugi nodded, and pointed a mock accusatory finger. “You just have to do me one favor,” 

“What’s that?” Duke asked.

“Don’t get Joey started on the you-know-who-of-games thing, or by the end of the night he’ll have everybody singing that awful song and we’ll never hear the end of it!”  
The cup in Duke’s hand cracked loudly before they dropped it in the trash bin. They wiped the condensation from their palm onto their pants and noticed a spot where their manicure had chipped.

“Not a peep.” They promised, complete with a scout’s salute as they pushed open the cafe door. “See you tonight, King of Birthdays.”

They shared a farewell wave with Yugi before clopping back outside on shaky heels to cross the sun baked pavement. The sudden white light of the outside world left them blinking away sweat as they made their way blindly towards the train station. Their red drop top convertible was never more sorely missed.

By the time they managed to get into a seat on the train, Duke could feel their foundation melting off and their shirt was soaked through. With some mental mapping they came up with a plan for a quick change into the spare clothes they kept at their desk before anybody managed to see them. For now they fumbled with a pair of earbuds to drown out the train car rumble and chatter. They plugged in their earbuds as the train started and found a suitably high throttle track and jammed up the volume.

Of course Joey was going to be at Yugi’s birthday party. It wasn’t even a question, which was maybe why they hadn’t even considered it before they accepted Yugi’s invitation. It wasn’t a big deal. It didn’t have to be a big deal. It would only be a big deal if they made it one, which was, at least historically, sort of their specialty. They would show up, make nice, eat some bad pizza, play a round of Catan, and that would be it. No big deal.

Their phone vibrated in their pocket with the arrival of Yugi’s text message relaying the address for his party. Tristan’s house, out in the suburbs. Of course. Duke sank down against the metal seat and turned their music up to full volume so they could listen to the screaming guitar and thundering kick drum rattle around in their brain, intent on not leaving room for anything else.


	2. You Must Be Fun At Parties

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Duke takes a fateful Uber ride to the far reaches of Suburbia for a Yugi Muto birthday bash and the dramatic final stop of their Domino City Reunion tour: running into their ex.

There was always a special flavor of unease whenever Duke could see city lights shrinking in their rearview at night, regardless of what city it was. The closer they got to the ‘burbs and the further they were from civilization the more they could feel the urge to shrink themself. The fact that they were being taken there by a miscellaneous Uber driver only made it worse. Like they were in a paddy wagon being driven to the looney bin. They thought a final time about pestering their driver to turn down his annoyingly droning binaural beats playlist but it felt easier to sit and suffer in silence.

Out here in the boonies their makeup felt too loud, their outfit too tight, their whole  _ thing _ too much. Normally Duke wore their curated looks like armor. Right now they felt over exposed and soon to be outnumbered. Nobody looked like them out here. They were going to feel like a Martian. Of course Yugi was cool, and they wanted to see him, but it was the rest of the party that caused Duke’s nerves to jangle. It was dumb to be this anxious. It was just a party. If the driver would just shut off his radio maybe Duke could calm down for two seconds, but for all they knew this was his way of chilling out. The continually buzzing dual tones made Duke feel anything but chill.

Dim yellow streetlights zipped by to signal their journey into the belly of suburbia and they tried to make peace with their driver’s mental health needs, no matter how annoying. Everybody has their own way of coping, they thought. They swiped a thumb over the phone sitting in their lap to illuminate the dark of the back seat and gazed at their lock screen. Liza Minelli, 1972, dead center of the spotlight with her black stocking clad knee popped and a bowler hat tilted with a smirk as she perched in a back-turned chair, ready to tear the house down and triumphantly snatch Best Actress with grace and aplomb.

They stared at the screen a while and closed their eyes for a slow count of three. When they opened them up again, they turned sharply to their reflection in the car window with a faithful reproduction of Liza’s daring glance, practiced many a late night in their bathroom mirror. No annoying Uber soundtrack or fear over an imagined impending hate crime would stop them now. Go in, make a friendly appearance, don’t hook up with anybody, deliver Yugi’s gift, then  _ Auf wiedersehen, mein Herr _ and back to Domino proper.

The car slowed at last on a distantly familiar street that ended in a cul-de-sac and Duke took the opportunity to check their makeup one final time in their phone’s front facing cam. No stray lipstick smudges, perfect liner, and they’d even gone the extra mile to contour on a subtle blush for a youthful look. They pushed open the car door and planted skinny boot heels on pavement without so much as a wobble. Liza would be so proud.

“Thanks for the lift,” they said before closing the door.

“No problem, man — I mean, ma’am.”

Duke slammed the door to his blocky little sedan harder than they strictly needed to and drew an X in the air as he drove away. It’d been a long time in the states since they’d engaged with the silly old misgender-be-gone ritual from their teen wicca days. They’d gotten back in the habit on what felt like a daily basis since moving back to Domino.

They straightened the side tie of the sleeveless wrap top they’d gone with for tonight and hoped it was just the right amount of over dressed before making the journey up the Taylor home driveway like they were pounding the runway for their life. The click of their heels was a beat they’d marched into battle often, though normally it was the boardroom where they waged war. An old acquaintance’s 25th birthday party in the suburbs hardly ranked.

With a final toss of their high ponytail for good luck Duke rapped the front door in a sharp double knock. They could already hear a good amount of raucous chatter and laughter and an uptempo R&B beat that thumped through the walls. A party of this size hadn’t been on their radar, but it made sense considering the venue, and Yugi was friends with everybody. Duke hadn’t considered before that they might be lumped into that particular “everybody”.

After a long enough pause they sighed and pushed the unlocked door open and stepped into the fray of party noise. Their lip curled up in a smirk. It was like going back in time to a scene straight out of their teen years. Gaggles of Domino’s nerdiest millennials filled the house, joking and talking excitedly over red solo cups among tacky knick knacks, well loved furniture and portraits of Toni and Tristan Taylor at Disney World with their parents. It was so unbelievably wholesome.

Duke slipped between a group of Yugi’s gameshop bros debating very important and absolutely wrong Overwatch opinions and made a beeline for the kitchen. Not much had changed here even if they didn’t recognize half the party guests. The big kitchen area was a little more empty of people, all clean tile and snacks piled high, but a few girls talked excitedly as they picked over a cheese plate. Nothing too fancy from the look of it, but Duke would take a closer peek when the space cleared out a little more.

They clicked their tongue when they located their target — a nice big handle of vodka next to a diverse array of mixers. One drink wouldn’t hurt, it’d probably help. There were even a couple of bowls of mixed berries and fruits available. They rolled their eyes and reached for a cup. Certainly this had to be the work of Yugi’s gentle giant friend and party host extraordinaire — 

“Tristan.” Duke said as their hand met with his around the bottle.

“D-Man!” He shouted and spread out his huge hands.

Duke tried to flash a smile but it came out more like an animal baring its teeth. They watched Tristan’s eyebrows crowd into each other and his nostrils flare in a sudden panic. Sometimes they had to wonder if it was stressful being cis and clueless.

“Shit, sorry.” He bumbled. He plucked up a bottle of Doc Well’s in one hand and Cuervo in the other. “Can I make it up with a margarita?”

“It’s a start,” Duke smiled, a little more genial and practiced this time. His cut jaw was softened by a dopey grin of gratitude offered before he led the way to his mixing setup.

They followed him over to the kitchen counter and watched as he busied himself cutting up a lime. His thick fingers moved with a surprising quickness and they watched the roll of his huge shoulders as he shook out salt to rim the glass. There was nothing wrong with a little window shopping, as long as they didn’t handle the merchandise.

“Moonlighting as a bartender these days, Taylor?” They asked.

“No, not me.” He laughed and gave a bashful shake of his head. He poured the liquor into the blender, measured with mental accuracy apparently, and reached for a scoop of ice from a cooler. “Learned from the best, though.”

“Where is Big Sis?” Duke wondered with a tilt back on their heels. They paused during the garbled roar of the blender. “I was looking forward to some new embarrassing baby Tristan stories.”

“Dōtonbori. Her girlfriend’s doing a play.” Tristan answered before giving the blender a few more quick pulses.

“Girlfriend,” Duke hummed. They watched Tristan pour the drink with practiced ease, not missing for one second how his arm flexed when he did so. “Sounds pretty serious.”

“Seriously annoying, you haven’t been to one of her shows. Very  _ avant garde _ .” He lifted his brows and handed over the glass with a slightly dramatic dip.

Duke snorted and accepted the drink. They tipped it forward to sip carefully and tasted the tart salt and citrus on their tongue before smacking their lips a few times for effect.

“The verdict?” Tristan asked. He leaned one beefy forearm on the counter. Duke was sure now that he’d gotten even more huge in the last two years.

Duke took another long sip, considered, and said, “Toni’s got a run for her money.”

They snickered with a toss of their hair and gave Tristan’s shoulder a shove as he let out a loud laugh and made a celebratory fist pump. Before they could truly appreciate just how firm his giant bicep had felt under their hand there was a flurry of motion and then two arms wrapped tight around Duke’s middle. They held their margarita above their head for safety and looked down at their sudden attachment.

“You came!” I’m so happy you came! It’s my  _ birthday _ !”

Duke met the wide purple-glitter-shadowed eyes of the birthday boy. He was dressed up in his finest goth-kid club wear, complete with a black mesh shirt over a tank top and plenty of spikey accessories, and he was very, very drunk.

“Who let you into the Jello shots, Jello Shot?” Duke asked. They gave his shoulders a squeeze before politely removing his hold and jabbing a finger at Tristan. “Taylor, I’m blaming you.”

“Hey, I am only upholding my duties as a friend and party host to provide the finest Piña coladas and Sangria slushes my sister’s bartending school education has to offer.” Tristan said with an air of faithfulness.

He shook his head with his hands held up defensively, which only left him wide open for Yugi to leap up and cling on and Duke couldn’t stop the snort of laughter at the ridiculous difference in their sizes if they’d wanted to. He wrapped Yugi’s tiny body up in a bear hug and swung him from side to side until a familiar loud and bossy voice called out.

“ _ Excuse me _ , Tristan, but I’ll thank you  _ not _ to shake Yugi around like a soda can until he explodes.”

Tea stood in the kitchen doorway with her hands on her hips, but her smile gave away her obvious affection. Duke could see past her shoulder where Ryou Bakura stood, looking shy but somehow not at all out of place. They knew he’d been hanging around with them more and more towards the end of school. Apparently he was a lot closer than Duke had first assumed. The pair came to join the group with Tea nudging Tristan before he released Yugi with a tweak of his nose. She smiled warmly at him and cut a much less friendly look over to Duke.

“Tea, Ryou — look who’s here. Duke is here!” He jumped up excitedly and grabbed both of their hands.

“I see.” She said with an arched brow. Duke gave a wink over the rim of their drink as they took another long gulp. She looked them up and down like the Terminator scanning an enemy combatant. “What brings you back to Domino?”

“They work at Industrial Revolutions!” Yugi chirped.

“Illusions,” Duke supplied.

“Yeah, that one.” Yugi nodded with a wide grin. He let go of Tea’s hand where she’d crossed it away and clung to Ryou instead. “Isn’t that cool?”

“Damn, big money Big D.” Tristan gave an appreciative whistle.

Duke was nearing the bottom of their margarita and feeling loose around the edges. They probably shouldn’t have drank at all tonight but the unexpected onslaught of attention had admittedly rattled them. They leaned their hip against the counter with their head tilted and gave their perfected Liza smile. Totally cool.

“Yup, that’s me. I interned for a while but I’m on staff now. Got the ID badge and everything to prove it.” They gave a nod that sent their ponytail swinging behind them and the room swam with the bob of their head. Shit. Not Cool.

“I can’t believe I didn’t know!” Yugi hopped up and down, taking a flushed but smiling Ryou with him for the ride. “You never posted anything about it on Insta.”

Duke picked up their dwindling margarita and took one final long sip to drain the glass. The summer heat seemed to be permeating the room more, or at least they had started to notice it. They missed the chill of the drink immediately and scrounged for an excuse as to their sudden social media exodus while the eyes of the whole group swiveled to them in the expectation of an answer.

“Well, y’know, it’s...” They made a pathetic hand flapping gesture, and when they felt the relief of air against their face they kept flapping. “You know, with the non disclosure agreements and social media clauses, Pegasus is really strict with online stuff he doesn’t get. The other day at lunch he asked me what Tik Tok was,” 

Tea’s eyes bugged and her nostrils flared with a suddenly sputtered and very loud, “ _ Pegasus _ ?” 

“Yes.” Duke’s smile stretched thin and they felt a pin prickle travel over their back. They licked the salt from the corner of their mouth and ignored Tristan’s obvious attempts to grab their attention and kept their focus honed in on Tea. “It is his company, after all.”

“I’m aware, but I didn’t actually think that meant you’d be having tea parties with that ancient creep,” She started and leaned forward with her arms crossed. Duke only had about an inch on her but they stood straight to make good use of every millimeter.

“Well, that ancient creep signs my paychecks, so —” 

“ _ Happy birthday Yugi! _ ”

The whole group turned to see a huge fondant-covered monstrosity of a cake in the shape of the Dark Magician being ferried into the kitchen by multiple party goers on some kind of ridiculous party palanquin. His purple robe was embedded with rows of candles already lit and someone flickered the overhead lights excitedly as the whole party crowded into the kitchen and cheered.

“ _ It’s him! _ ” Yugi squealed with his hands over his mouth. His voice was choked by watery tears and he rushed for the kitchen island where the Fondant Magician was laid to rest with his friends in tow. 

Duke thought briefly of what Kaiba used to call it when he was still giving them helicopter rides and running batshit death tournaments — the friendship cult. It was a name that made a certain amount of sense when you thought about it. Especially when they ran off literally hand in hand and left you standing alone in the dark. 

The room started up the first bar of birthday singing and Duke backed out of the kitchen. They stood in the middle of the empty living room and considered taking the opportunity to bail. The weight of their bag on their hip reminded them about Yugi’s gift and they swore under their breath. It would probably be okay to leave it somewhere here or give it to him later, but then this whole night would have been for nothing.

They heard the applause and cheers of the song’s conclusion and made a snap decision to do the only mature and sensible thing, which was to hurry down the hall before anyone saw them and hide in Tristan’s childhood bedroom until they could get to Yugi alone and avoid any further humiliating social encounters. The door clicked closed behind them as the party music started up again and they let out a long breath before flopping down face first on his bed, which was definitely a weird move they hadn’t accounted for. As long as they didn’t get drunk-weepy and smudge mascara on Tristan’s outer space sheets, nobody needed to know.

After a few more moment’s drama they pulled out their phone and swiped open the screen to blind themself in the dim room. Don’t look now, Liza. Social media scrolling was strictly off limits at a time like this. No need to go further down that endlessly vapid self esteem-sucking black hole. Their thumb hovered for a second before landing on the only game that really mattered anymore. They felt a mini surge of serotonin from the triumphant Pokemon battle music that played over the loading screen.

There was one obvious positive to relocating between continents, and that was the new array of previously unavailable Pokemon to catch across the Pacific ocean. There were still a few region specific ones they hadn’t been able to bag, including the blue Shellos currently wasting all of their balls. At first having something else to focus on helped, but now they were just getting pissed. They propped up on their elbows and aimed another throw when a sudden voice in the room made them jump straight in the air like a cartoon alley cat.

“Wow, you suck.”

Duke reeled to where the voice came from and saw a familiar blonde mop framing an equally recognizable but definitely changed face. They were pretty sure he was wearing the same stupid crusty old cigarette-stink denim jacket he had on the last time they told him to fuck off.

“Joey, what the fuck!” They threw a constellation patterned pillow at his head which he annoyingly caught in one hand while he held his phone in the other. “How long have you been sitting there?”

“Long time before you showed up. Squatter’s rights.” He sank back down into the egg chair he’d been sitting in. The light of his screen illuminated his face, his jaw more cut and his brow more defined but his brown eyes darting to theirs and back to his phone as quick and crafty as always. He was such an asshole.

“You’re an asshole.” They said. He snorted in that way that meant he didn’t disagree and they sat up on their knees on the bed. “What are you doing in here?”

“Same as you. Trying to catch this Shellos and pretending not to be at this party.” He swiped his thumb over the screen repeatedly and scratched at his eyebrow to disguise the fact that he was looking at them again.

Duke sat back down against the comforter and stared at him. They’d gotten so worked up about the various other annoyances and anxieties of tonight that they had somehow forgotten to worry about running into Joey at all. He was like a bad penny, and they were a magnet. Possibly the other way around. They shook off that thought and swiped aimless at their screen.

“So,” They said after a while. They looked around at the endearingly dated science posters and band memorabilia that decorated the room. “Not even Yugi could make you fun at parties, huh?”

“Nope.” Joey said.

“They got him a Dark Magician cake. A big one.” They tried.

“Yeah, I saw.” He tapped his phone rapidly, apparently in the midst of a heated battle.

“Just now?” They asked. It’d been a long time since they picked away through his one word answers. It was as frustrating then as it was tonight.

“The one from earlier.” He said with a sniff.

“Two cakes for the King of Games, huh?” Duke felt a jolt straight up their spine when Joey looked up from his phone finally and gestured with an open palm. The corner of his mouth was ticked up in a lopsided grin.

“It was just the hat.” He said with an exasperated wave. “I told ‘em Yugi deserved the whole damn Magician, so they went back and had the guy do another one.”

“You… fucking would.” Duke snickered into the back of their hand. 

Joey rolled his eyes as they fell back on the mattress to hang off its edge in a fit of snorting laughter and kicked their feet. They went on for a few more seconds just to be extra annoying before they looked up from where they dangled.

“But you didn’t wanna be there to see the tears of joy on his face? From seeing his card game boyfriend in cake form?” They spread out their hands still holding their lit up phone.

“Yugi gets it.” He shrugged, in that way that meant he was done talking about it. He looked down at the phone in their hand and sat forward. “Is that a fucking Heracross?”

Duke glanced up at their phone where their profile screen idled, showing their perfectly accessorized and painstakingly crafted gender ambiguous character standing next to their assigned buddy. 

“Yes. His name is Betelgeuse and he’s my friend. I found him in Florida, and you can’t have him.” They held the phone to their heart and gave him an exaggerated sour look.

“Wasn’t gonna ask.” He said and settled back into the recess of the egg chair to disappear into his phone. The glow of the screen cast cold blue light across his face. He was smiling.

Duke let the silence stretch between them and stared at him upside down. They couldn’t see super well in the dark room, but it was clear there had been some significant changes over the past couple years. He’d filled out a lot and wasn’t nearly as lanky as he’d been in high school, and the HRT he’d just been starting when they met had since made quick work of his baby cheeks. His blonde mop had grown enough to touch his shoulders, which wasn’t half as weird as the fact that his jeans didn’t have any rips or holes in them.

As much as they could count the ways he was different, they could easily name how he wasn’t at all. They wondered if he maybe thought the same thing about them but quickly dismissed that as a symptom of the blood rushing to their head. Whatever they’d been trying to prove, how cool and casual they were and how little of a deal talking to Joey for the first time in two years was, they’d done all they needed and it was time to go. They held their breath. Maybe if they were lucky they’d pass out before they managed to say something stupid.

“Hey.” Duke said.

“What.” Joey said back, eyes still on his phone.

“Give me your friend code.” They held their own phone up to him persistently until he finally looked. “I need more eggs.”

“What’s in it for me?” He asked. Duke stayed put and narrowed their eyes at him as he leaned forward over his knees to hover above them.

“I’ll _ think _ about trading you my other Heracross.” They offered the phone up again and waited for him to take it.

“Figured you were holding out.” He said. They smirked and watched him take their phone and start punching in the long code.

“I said I’d think about it. And you got a Zubat in the cave, right there.” They said and reached up to poke at his nose. 

“Fuck off,” Joey snorted.

He was laughing and he grabbed at their hand when the door to Tristan’s room swung open. Duke lifted straight up at the sudden intrusion and managed to crack their head against Joey’s chin hard enough to see stars, not at all helped by their time spent upside down. They both yelled and instantly launched into a stream of loud swears. 

“Just like I said, they’re already trying to kill each other.”

Duke’s vision blurred with the bright light of the hall streaming in until Tea and Yugi swam into focus. Yugi’s head was poked inside with Tea holding open the door. So much for not making a fool of themself. They slid off the bed and straightened their top before crossing quickly over to Yugi. He seemed to have sobered a bit in his concerned search for Duke. Tea was holding onto looking annoyed, but the bite from earlier had apparently worn off.

“Yugi, um. Sorry for disappearing. I was just coming to find you.” They shifted their bag on their shoulder and dug inside, retrieving a tiny box wrapped in shiny paper. “I gotta head out but, here.”

“Duke, oh wow. I was just worried… You didn’t have to get me anything.” He opened the box and beamed as he held up its contents to the light and gasped. “Amaranth the Enchanter!”

An unpainted custom miniature in the shape of a dwarven wizard with billowing robes raised a magic staff triumphantly from between Yugi’s black painted fingernails. Duke had found a site a while ago that 3D printed tabletop miniatures to the user’s specifications. They tapped a work contact for a well deserved favor and had the print done in a same day rush job. Anything for the King of Games.

Once they dug up the spiral notebooks they still had from high school with all of their dungeon master’s notes it’d been easy to enter the physical attributes necessary to make Yugi’s beloved player character come to life. They were shaky at first if something so small and cheap would have been a sufficient gift but from the way Yugi launched his arms around them and how Tea watched on with her own approving smile they figured it had been a solid choice.

“You made him real, I don’t believe it! Thank you, Duke. He’s perfect.” Yugi said. He looked up over their shoulder where Joey had joined them and passed the figure to him. “Look, Joey.”

“The family resemblance is uncanny.” Joey said as he held the toy up in comparison to Yugi. He cut a glance over to Duke. “This is pretty damn cool, for real. What do I gotta do for you to make my barbarian? Name your price.”

Duke stared up at him. They could have easily come up with something smart ass to say if it weren’t for the fact that standing this close they became acutely aware of the salt and smoke scent instantly recognizable from too much time spent with their nose pressed into the battered old denim jacket he wore. Whatever they planned to say got lost to alarm bells going off in their head and they gave Yugi’s back an awkwardly quick pat before squeezing through the door into the hallway. 

“It’s honestly not that hard, Yugi can send you the link.” They shrugged and offered a bewildered Yugi a warm if strained smile as they backed down the hall and dug around in their bag for their phone. “Happy birthday Yugi, thanks for having me. I’d stay but it’s a long drive back to the city, and I’d better call my ride now before it gets too late. I’ll see you around."

They didn’t wait for a response and gave a wave before ducking between the partygoers that had since made a dancefloor of the Taylor family living room and made a quick exit out onto the lawn. All things considered, they’d been successful in their mission. Yugi loved his gift, they made the right small talk, and yeah they’d run into Joey and yeah they got a little stupid, but ultimately they’d stuck to the plan. All they had to do was find their damn phone and they could call a ride back to their apartment and back to their real life.

“Forget something?”

Duke looked up and saw Joey standing in the driveway. He was holding their phone. They let out a long breath and dropped their bag to hang useless over their shoulder. He walked over and held the phone out for them to take. They opened their mouth to cut off whatever dumb ass thing he was surely about to say but he beat them to the punch.

“It doesn’t have to be weird.” He said. He scratched a hand through the hair at the back of his neck. “Yugi was real excited, you know? For you to come. And um, I don’t want you to not come. Because of me.”

“Yeah. I know.” Duke said. They twisted their finger in a stray curl that had come loose at some point in the night. “I don’t want that either.”

“So, we’re cool?” He asked. They watched his hand dig into his jacket pocket where it was undoubtedly fidgeting with a bic lighter.

“Yeah.” They released the coil of hair and let it bounce free before pushing it behind their ear. “We’re cool.”

The return trip to Domino was accompanied by a much more tolerable soundtrack. Duke leaned back against the seat and closed their eyes to the rhythm of the passing street below and the inoffensive classical music that played around them. As they neared their apartment building they swiped open their phone, thanking Liza mentally for her moral support and making a few final Pokestop spins for the night. Once they’d climbed out of the car and started up the front steps they checked their friends list on reflex despite the late hour. 

They stopped right before making it to their door. BbyDragonsDad91 had sent them a gift from the Burger World at Domino City Mall. They made it inside and ditched their shoes before falling fully clothed face down into bed. It wasn’t that big a deal if they made Joey’s barbarian themself. It was the kind of thing you’d do for a friend.


End file.
